Geelong coach Chris Scott has revealed he was unaware of the club’s controversial concussion waiver they agreed with defender Jake Kolodjashnij.
On Thursday, it emerged Geelong had reached a unique agreement for Kolodjashnij to assume all legal responsibility for any brain injuries he receives in future.
The player signed the waiver in a bid to extend his career, which would protect the Cats and medical staff from future legal action.
Former Geelong president and current AFL Commission chairman Craig Drummond has apologised for “the mistakes made in a very complex situation” as financial sanctions were floated in relation to the AFL concussion waiver scandal.
Now Scott. who was speaking after Geelong’s 67-point victory over Essendon, has admitted he had no knowledge of the agreement.
He said: “I don’t even follow the media that much… I’m kind of loosely aware of it, I get a briefing but I actually don’t want to know too much.
“I am kept at arm’s length from these things.
“I don’t know enough to give an informed opinion on it.
“I’m brought in on the things where people think I need to be brought in, I haven’t been brought in to this point and I suspect I won’t be.
“Don’t stop asking me if you want to, but I don’t think the answer will change.
“Even if I was prepared to say more, I wouldn’t be able to give you anywhere near a clearer picture as the people who were actually involved in this stuff, or are involved in it.”
When explaining his role as coach, Scott went on to insist “it’s not 1980” and that he is “one of the least informed people here”.
He added: “I guess if you really pressed me I could go on and demand that I be involved in it, but I don’t want to be, it’s not how our football club, any good football club, operates.
“The AFL doesn’t want us to operate that way either.”
AFL backflip, huge financial sanctions floated
The latest revelations come as SEN’s Tom Morris revealed a massive financial sanction could soon be imposed on Geelong for its actions.
The AFL and the AFLPA were reportedly unaware of this waiver, despite it having been in place since 2024.
However, the AFL seemingly glazed over the problem when it first came to light on Thursday.
“The AFL is satisfied the letter was not used by Geelong to allow a medically unfit player to return to play,” the statement read.
The league took no disciplinary action, only warning that future arrangements impacting player legal rights must receive formal oversight.
Yet days later the AFL has seemingly backflipped on that decision. And according to Morris, high-level meetings took place at AFL HQ on Saturday morning where the possibility of high-five-figure, even six-figure financial sanctions were floated.
“Andrew Dillon confirms that Drummond wasn’t present at this morning’s AFL Commission phone hook-up. A six-figure sanction was discussed as a realistic possibility,” Morris said on SEN.
“ … I would be very surprised if this wasn’t a significant fine. If not $100,000 very close to it.”
Speaking about the ordeal on Saturday, AFL CEO Andrew Dillon revealed the league has issued the Cats a please explain.
“Under the AFL rules and regulations, agreements that affect contracts are required to be lodged with the AFL,” Dillon said on SEN’s Crunch Time on Saturday.
“We’ve written to Geelong asking them why the document wasn’t lodged with the AFL.
“We’ve heard from the current chairman of Geelong and also the CEO yesterday saying that was, I think, a fail or a misstep and so a mistake in the process.
“So, we’re waiting to hear back from Geelong, and we’ll hear back from them early in the week.”
He also said serious financial punishment could be imposed on the Cats based on the findings, but refused to speculate on what that number might be.
“In terms of the lodger, there’s some (punishments) that have got a maximum on them of 20,000 (dollars), but there’s other provisions that have got sanction at large,” he continued.
“But I don’t want to get into speculating about where that might go until we hear back from Geelong formally.”
Kolodjashnij has played 209 games for Geelong and celebrated his 200-game milestone earlier this year.
The 30-year-old, a role player defender, was part of Geelong’s victorious premiership team in 2022.
He has had multiple concussions throughout his career, and his brother, Kade, retired at the age of 24 due to concussion issues.